You need to raise the threshold.
I use a Markbass Compressore (KILLER compressor, BTW). To get a good slap tone, I want a bit higher threshold. I also slow the attack so the percussive nature of the slap tone is not choked out.
Can you please give us a review? I decided to go with the Aguilar TLC and I'm happy with it, but I've heard a lot of good things about the Compressore.
I don't have any experience with the TLC, so I can not offer a direct comparative, but I will say that the Markbass is the by far the best experience that I have ever had with a compressor. I looked into the TLC as well as a couple of other well-received pedals before choosing the Compressore.
First of all, it's yellow. That gives it the advantage over almost everything else out there. It matches school buses and rubber duckies. You really can't go wrong there. The only down side is that it is yellow and black, and I am not a Steelers fan.
I have been on again, off again with compression for the 25 years that I have been playing. I have enough slop in my playing and enough demand for various techniques that compression is certainly something that is helpful. But, for the most part, I have always been so disappointed with the way the compressors I used affected the tone that I have up on them.
My idea of of a great compressor is one that is transparent in tone except for the compression effect. I hate it when they choke out the highs or add that "pumping" effect in the low end. I just want to flatten the output dynamically, and that is all. The Markbass seems to do that better than anything I have ever used. You can actually apply a LOT of compression before the unit starts robbing the tone. Of course, you can over-compress with it, but it takes some doing.
The unit actually has a tube in it. It doesn't, IMO, add anything "tubey" to the tone, but it may be what makes the compression effect smoother and more seamless. Further, the Compressore is fully featured compared to some of the others I looked at. It has the release setting right on the top of the unit. I don't mess with that a great deal, but I don't really care for the thought of having any settings preset and "optimized for bass." It just limits the use of the unit. We used my Compressore in the studio not too long ago on both electric guitar and acoustic guitar with equally good results.
It also has an output trim. This is what helped it win out over many of the other pedals as some don't have it. This output trim/gain control allows you to dial up just about any compression effect you want and then trim the output the be the same as the bypassed signal. If you leave the compressor running all night, this is no big deal, but I don't. Often with ballads and some other types of tunes, I want to kick it out so as to have complete dynamic control in my fingers. I don't want bypassing the compressor to affect the output of the signal to the amp and/or FOH.
There are a few cons. It's BIG. Like three or four times the size of a typical stomp box. It uses a 12V+ power supply with a 500mA draw. There are very few pedal power units out there that will accommodate it, and it has no battery. You almost have to use the wall wart. It's also expensive compared to many others. Although, I think it is at about the same price point as the Aguilar unit.
All that said, I really like it. I use it more than any compressor that I have ever had. This might not be much of a review, but maybe that is a good thing when talking compressors. I actually like the thought that the answer to the question of "how does it sound?" is "it doesn't!"
